Back to commuting after a week off. Left Thursday with the wife (kids stayed home with Grandma!) for a long weekend trip to the Outer Banks. Dodging thunderstorms in TX for the last few weeks, and landed right in the middle of tornado alley for vacation - who knew?

DW and I rented a couple cruisers on Saturday and put in about 12 miles traveling between the LBS where we rented and the various attractions close-in to the B&B where we stayed. Had a good time, but I gotta tell ya, my posterior is not a big fan of the cruiser saddle!

Then drove to DC on Sunday to visit some old friends before flying home on Monday evening - y'all out there got some serious rain! Kudos to the folks I saw commuting on bikes in the middle of all that!

Got home Monday night, drove in Tuesday with the bike in the truck to do my normal Tuesday/Wedsneday ride routing, only to be foiled by work and weather here. Long day on Tuesday meant driving was the better option (first day back from vacation always sux...) and heavy rain for the first part of the day yesterday confirmed that decision.

So last night's ride home was my first commute in a week. Felt pretty good, traffic was friendly, and the wind cooperated (very light and not in my face...) for the first time in a while. Had a couple adjustment issues with the RD, but 5 minutes on the stand in the garage took care of that.

Rode in this morning in gray, overcast, north wind (headwind, of course!) but felt great. Planned to take it easy, but couldn't keep from pushing hard for some reason. Made good time, had no driver issues, and then realized I forgot my towel. Nothing like a shower with paper towels to dry off!

And bonus - picked up a SuperFlash at the bike shop in NC (believe it or not, no one close by carries it, and I haven't been willing to pay shipping for an online order just for that...) That thing is awesome!